Perenniality of our creations in case TrainZ disappears.

Hello to everyone.

I'm concerned about something : What would happen if Auran stopped its activities and the TrainZ universe disappeared ? Of course I don't want this to happen but as a semi-retired person after a career as a consultant in the world of telecommunication and IT, I have already seen this happen two or three times, often without warning.

I've looked here and there for an answer on the forum but haven't found it.

I know that DLS, as well as some subscription benefits, will then be inaccessible and that multiplayers sessions will probably be impacted. That makes sense.

However, what would happen to the content we have on our PCs ?

Would we be able to access our local content normally, without time limit, and modify it with the assets that are already downloaded ?

Could we install TrainZ on a new PC and import all our content ?

Thank you for your answers and thoughts.

Michel.

There really are no answers to all of the above questions.

Auran actually went out of business many years ago. A failed move into the world of Role Playing Games sent them bankrupt. N3V took the company over, rebranded and revived the franchise.

Gaming software development companies have a very high failure rate. Developing games is an enormously expensive gamble and it takes a long time. Many never get to the prototype development stage. By the time your product is ready for the market the market could be moving in a completely new direction. But, for Trainz to have survived for 22 years, is remarkable in itself.

Having said all that, past performance is no guide to future survival in such a volatile market - then throw in pandemics, wars in Europe, an energy crisis, global warming, and an endless list of other major risk factors.

None of us can foretell the future.

The biggest immediate concern is what happens if your copy of Trainz is no longer able to authenticate, which happens when you start the program?

We will all move on.

My prognostications.

Addendum: Of course one thing that we tend to forget with software is that your money only buys a licence to use it. You do not own it. It forever remains the property of the development company. So if the company goes out of business you could, technically at least (I am not a lawyer), also lose the right to use it. Some further food for thought.

Sounds like a good reason to be a Gold member!

I'm glad that there are other options for those of us who really can't afford membership and I can imagine myself being in that situation in the future but while I can afford it, I'm happy to subsidize those of us who can't now!

Just think: some maybe our favorite author geniuses who provide us with fantastic content!

Wild Willy the Wacko

WildWillyWacko said:

Sounds like a good reason to be a Gold member!
-snip-
Wild Willy the Wacko

Click to expand...

And if N3V is out of business what difference is Gold going to make? You'll be "locked" into whatever resources you have on your computer and in your backups. (Assuming the app will even launch and run without the ability to call home.)

Thank you for your answers.


@pware, until now if I launch TrainZ ( the TrainZ plus version with my Gold subscription, I did not tried with the TRS22 retail edition ) without being connected to the internet it takes a little longer to start but it starts.


That said, there is no guarantee that it will do so forever. There may be a grace period of a few days, or a few dozen days, after which it will simply refuse to start.


I agree with you that we don't own the software but the right to use it. That said, TrainZ would not be what it is without the work of all those volunteers who create extraordinary objects. It is not a simple game that can be abandoned for another one from one day to the next.

And if there is a war in Europe, I think playing TrainZ will be the least of my priorities.

@1611mac, If we are locked into the content we have on our PCs, it's better than having nothing at all.

Best regards.

Michel.

This was addressed some time ago ago when the Lead Programmer said steps would be taken to ensure the DRM was unlocked if the company went under, which is extremely unlikely at present.

I'd more more worried that Microsoft goes 100% cloud and PCs become just a console to access it.

Subscribing ensures there is a cash flow that reduces the likelihood of N3V suddenly collapsing, as they have been recruiting that seems to be unlikely at present!

Given the current state of the planet with global warming energy and food crisis and a possible World War 3 looming on the horizon who knows what may happen in the future, not going to worry about it.

I, too, hate the direction things are going. My work machins are Macs and with every new OS update I see that things look more and more like a tablet UI. They stripped some scripting capability from Apple Pages (ie: Microsoft Word) and half my scripts don't work any longer. Thankfully there are very powerful apps to help. (If you are a Mac user you need "Keyboard Maestro" which will do ANYTHING you want - it's smarter than I am.) Anyway.. the general "dumbing down" of desktops is very concerning to me. I work in publishing and some of my favorite niche apps are no more because of this. They are turning powerful (in capability) desktops into phones and tablets.... with everyting in the "cloud." I hate it.

I do use the cloud for certain things, and dropbox for certain things, but everything I have is backed up on disk or ssd and in multiple formats from mere backups to bootable clones of my system disk. And when I leave the house, a little case always goes with me just in case of fire of theft. Yes, it's a pain but my home can burn to the ground along with my internet service and I can be 100% back up and running with all apps and all files in the time it takes to buy and plug in another PC (Mac).

WildWillyWacko said:

Sounds like a good reason to be a Gold member!

Click to expand...

Said tongue-in-cheek I am certain. I am also a Gold Subscription member, and I am not in the least worried about the future of N3V. That was one reason why I became a Gold member, to support the company.

MichelLmbrt said:

without being connected to the internet it takes a little longer to start but it starts.

Click to expand...

If Trainz fails to authenticate every 30 days (or so I believe) then it will not start (or other things such as DLC assets will not work). So disconnecting from the internet is not an issue as long as you reconnect at least once each month when using Trainz.

pware said:

Said tongue-in-cheek I am certain. I am also a Gold Subscription member, and I am not in the least worried about the future of N3V. That was one reason why I became a Gold member, to support the company.



If Trainz fails to authenticate every 30 days (or so I believe) then it will not start (or other things such as DLC assets will not work). So disconnecting from the internet is not an issue as long as you reconnect at least once each month when using Trainz.

Click to expand...

I also have a Gold subscription because I think this game is well worth the price.


30 days without connection is a usual grace period.

Best regards.

Michel

If N3V were to fold, then it falls to the community on here to try and keep things going. I think people would be interested in doing that, but the big problem is this 'phone home' requirement for post-TANE versions of the game. In extremis, I guess we all fall back on TS12 and take it from there?

Paul

All they would need to leave behind is a tiny little site that says to your game, in essence, "okay, you're cool to go." If they've gone under, why would they care if you were registered or not?

Bill

Given the fact that Trainz is and has always been a highly pirated program despite the best efforts of the programmers, I would say that at least in the short run there wouldn't be a problem that couldn't be overcome. Look at MSTS, it required the CD to be in the drive to run but there are still variants based on the original code floating around more than twenty years later.

Without the DLS or this forum, trying to use Trainz becomes a mess of searching for bits and bobs scattered all over the Internet on websites that may or may not be safe and trying to use an incredibly complex program without an user manual. Maybe users can join independent forums but I have seen plenty of those turn into chaos as petty squabbles lead to people being banned. It is hard for me to see how that would not spiral down to nothingness.

I seem to recall there were attempts by various groups to create alternatives to the DLS in case Auran or now N3V ceased training.

I believe all those alternatives are gone now.

Why assume ?

pware said:

Said tongue-in-cheek I am certain. I am also a Gold Subscription member, and I am not in the least worried about the future of N3V. That was one reason why I became a Gold member, to support the company.



If Trainz fails to authenticate every 30 days (or so I believe) then it will not start (or other things such as DLC assets will not work). So disconnecting from the internet is not an issue as long as you reconnect at least once each month when using Trainz.

Click to expand...

My reason for becoming a Gold member is exactly the same as yours !

I am not over joyed by N3V not fixing 2019 before moving on to 2022 and I now have a problem where Central Portal Control is not working in 2022 in conjunction with the portal in my favorite route but as long as N3V is still alive and kicking, there is hope that some day they will give us a version that will work but in the mean time I can still plug away while my game can still be authenticated !!!

Wild Willy the Wacko

This in a nutshell is why I use the non-DRM version of Trainz (no longer available) and have no plans to upgrade. Nobody lives forever, and neither do corporations. I've put too much time and effort (in some cases stretching over a dozen years) working on a few large routes and have no plans to be held hostage by a corporation (that includes Microsoft--I run Trainz on a standalone machine running Win10 with no Internet connection at all).

--Lamont

ldowns said:

and have no plans to be held hostage by a corporation (that includes Microsoft--I run Trainz on a standalone machine running Win10 with no Internet connection at all).

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But in effect you (and all of us) are hostage to large data corporations whether we know it or not. You have Win 10 installed (obviously from Microsoft) and, from your timeline, started with the earliest version of Trainz (1.3?? or maybe earlier) when Windows 98/2000/Me were the latest available versions so you have obviously updated both Windows and Trainz since then. You accessed the Internet to make this post (obviously) so you are hostage to the services provided by one (or more) ISPs. Even if you are using a small niche "telco" for your access they will be relying on the services of one of the large telecom corporations.

You may use Google for internet searches - I use DuckDuckGo to avoid Google's data tracking but that still relies on a large media corporation (I believe they use Bing a.k.a Microsoft). I use a service that randomizes my location so that advertisers cannot track me on the Internet.

And so on, there are many other examples I could use.

While I understand your sentiment and applaud your stand, I prefer to live in a real connected world with its benefits. As long as I am aware of its pitfalls and can take steps to minimise my exposure, then I am happy with the compromise.

But each to their own.

I now have a problem where Central Portal Control is not working in 2022

Click to expand...

Working here - please submit a detailed bug report and we'll investigate: https://n3vgames.typeform.com/to/xRdryu

pware said:

But in effect you (and all of us) are hostage to large data corporations whether we know it or not. You have Win 10 installed (obviously from Microsoft) and, from your timeline, started with the earliest version of Trainz (1.3?? or maybe earlier) when Windows 98/2000/Me were the latest available versions so you have obviously updated both Windows and Trainz since then. You accessed the Internet to make this post (obviously) so you are hostage to the services provided by one (or more) ISPs. Even if you are using a small niche "telco" for your access they will be relying on the services of one of the large telecom corporations.

You may use Google for internet searches - I use DuckDuckGo to avoid Google's data tracking but that still relies on a large media corporation (I believe they use Bing a.k.a Microsoft). I use a service that randomizes my location so that advertisers cannot track me on the Internet.

And so on, there are many other examples I could use.

While I understand your sentiment and applaud your stand, I prefer to live in a real connected world with its benefits. As long as I am aware of its pitfalls and can take steps to minimise my exposure, then I am happy with the compromise.

But each to their own.

Click to expand...

Well said Sir, always be aware of your surroundings in our 360, multi dynamic world we live in.....IE there Cameras and huge Databases filling with Data about what, where, when and why.........Unfortunately some our Population is Clueless in the most Naive way.......!

in a way the only time something close to that happened is when the fourms and DLS went dark for a while because Auran was in some trouble
with some game

pware said:

While I understand your sentiment and applaud your stand, I prefer to live in a real connected world with its benefits. As long as I am aware of its pitfalls and can take steps to minimise my exposure, then I am happy with the compromise.

Click to expand...

Precisely. And my step to minimize my exposure is to avoid software which relies upon the existence of a specific company to keep functioning. I use Win 11 on my "trash" computer (for accessing the Internet, sending email, checking news, etc.) and allow it to update my OS without warning or any say in the matter. That's realistic. I know that if Win 11 stops working, there's an alternative, such as Apple or Linux if necessary. I use Photoshop Elements, which unlike Photoshop does not require a subscription. My ancient copies of Word and Excel still work just fine without phoning home once a month.

Of course, if the entire Internet disappears overnight as a result of a massive solar flare then none of us will have much say in the matter, but what are the chances? ^__^ At least we'll always have cats...

--Lamont